Our All-Time Favorite Reading Books

Awhile back, one of my first cousins was looking to purchase a book for her nephew for Christmas. She wanted to give him a book that was popular with her age group and asked for our advice.  We thought her suggestion was too mature for his age and level of understanding, so we told her of several other books that we thought would be more appropriate.  That's when I decided to compile a list of our all-time favorite chapter books and I'm finally getting around to it. 😄

(Pssst! Many of them have been made into audio books and movies too. A book and the corresponding CD or DVD  would make an excellent birthday or holiday gift. They can listen to, read and/or watch and compare the story lines. And I was able to find a few free e-books for your I-Pad, Kindle, Lap-Top, Nook, or Smart Phone. They are linked in. Our favorite bookstore is Half-Price Books. We discovered it during our homeschooling days. We also visit our local library and thrift stores for books.)

Author - Book Title(s).
(Many of the books may be appropriate for both boys and girls.)

for boys 

1. Bender, Esther  - Thank God for Rocks.
2. Bowen, Robert Sidney  - Dave Dawson (book series); Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal (audio)
3. Burgess, Thornton W. - The Adventures of Bob White (audio); The Adventures of Buster Bear (audio); The Adventures of Bobby Coon (audio); The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel (audio); The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse (audio); The Adventures of Grandfather Frog (audio); The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat (audio); The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (audio); The Adventures of Lightfoot the Deer (audio);  The Adventures of Mr Mocker (audio); The Adventures of Old Man Coyote (audio); The Adventures of Paddy Beaver (audio); Adventures of Peter Cottontail (audio); The Adventures of Sammy Jay (audio); The Adventures of Prickly Porky (audio); The Adventures of Unc' Billy Possum (audio);  The Adventures of Poor Mrs Quack (audio); The Adventures of Reddy Fox (audio); The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk (audio); The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad (audio);  Bowser the Hound (audio);  The Burgess Animal Book for Children (audio); The Burgess Bird Book for Children (audio); Blacky the Crow (audio); Buster Bear's Twins (audio); Happy Jack (audio); How Old Mr. Crow Lost His Double Tongue (audio);  How Old King Eagle Won His White Head (audio); How Old Mr. Mink Taught Himself to Swim (audio); Mother West Wind's Animal Friends (audio); Mother West Wind's Children (audio); Mother West Wind "How" Stories (audio); Mother West Wind When Stories (audio);  Mother West Wind 'Where' Stories (audio); Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories (audio);  Old Mother West Wind (audio); Mrs. Peter Rabbit (audio); Old Granny Fox (audio); Tommy and the Wishing Stone (audio);  Whitefoot the Wood Mouse (audio); Why Hooty the Owl Does Not Play On the Green Meadow (audio)
4. Burroughs, Edgar Rice  - Moon Maid (audio); The Princess of Mars (audio), (book); Son of Tarzan (audio);  Tarzan (book); Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (audio); Tarzan the Terrible (audio); The Land that Time Forgot (audio); 
5. Chesterton, G. K.  - The Wisdom of Father Brown (audio)
6. Cooper, James Fenimore - The Last of the Mohicans (book)
7. Defoe, Daniel  - Robinson Crusoe (audio)
8. Dickens, Charles - A Christmas Carol (video); Oliver Twist [note: video may be disturbing for young children] (video), 
9. Dixon, Franklin W. - the Hardy Boys (mystery series). (video)
10. Douglas, Lloyd C.  - The Robe (book), (video clip)
11. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan - The Lost World (book); Sherlock Holmes
12. Dumas, Alexandre - The Count of Monte Cristo (audio), (book) ;  The Three Musketeers (audio)
13. ENGLISH FAIRY TALES - Jack & the Beanstalk (video); 
14. Fleming, Ian - Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang 
15. Field, Eugene = The Poems of Eugene Field (book)
16. George, Jean Craighead - My Side of the Mountain
17. Gipson, Fred  - Old Yeller
18. Grahame, Kenneth - The Wind in the Willows (audio), (book) 
19. God - The Holy Bible (book), (audio)
20. Guest, Edgar Albert - Just Folks (book)
21. Haggard, H. Rider  - King Solomon's Mine (book), (audio), (video)
22. Hamner, Jr., Earl  - Spencer's Mountain,  The (Walton's) Homecoming: A Christmas Story (video)
23. Herriot, James (pen name for James Alfred Wight) - All Creatures Great and Small (series); Dog Stories; 
24. Hope, Laura Lee - The Bobbsey Twins (book); The Bobbsey Twins in the Country (audio); The Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea (audio); The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore (audio); Merry Days Indoors and Out (audio); 
25. Lawhead, Stephen R. - the Pendragon Cycle (series)
26. Lewis, C.S.  - The Chronicles of Narnia (series). 
27. London, Jack - The Call of the Wild (audio), (book) (video); Sea Wolf (audio); White Fang (audio); 
28. Kipling, Rudyard  - The Jungle Book (audio)
29. Malory, Sir Thomas  - Le Morte Darthur: King Arthur & His Round Table (book)
30. Marzollo, Jean  - I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles
31. McSpadden, J. Walker - Robin Hood (audio)
32. Munsch, Robert - Love You Forever.
33. Lofting, Hugh - The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle (audio).
34. Nesbit, E.  - The Railway Children (audio)
35. O'Dell, Scott - Island of the Blue Dolphins
36. Pyle, Howard  - Robin Hood (book)
37. Rawls, Wilson  - Where the Red Fern Grows
38. Sayers, Dorothy - Lord Peter Wimsey (adult mystery series) (book)
39. Scott, Sir Walter - Ivanhoe (audio), (book) 
40. Sheldon, Charles M. - In His Steps (book), (video-1) (video-2) (video-3)
41. Stevenson, Robert Louis (some of his writings are on the dark side, but these are okay) - A Child's Garden of Verses (book);  The Black Arrow (audio);  Treasure Island (audio);  
42. Swift, Jonathan - Gulliver's Travels (book)
43. Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel  - The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings (the movie is too intense for little ones)
44. Travers, Pamela Lyndon  - Mary Poppins
45. Twain, Mark (Clemens, Samuel) - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (audio); Huckleberry Finn (audio), (video), The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Sawyer (audio), 
46. Verne, Jules - 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (audio); Journey to the Center of the Earth (book) 
47. Wallace, Lewis - Ben Hur (book)
48. Warner, Gertrude Chandler  - The Boxcar Children (audio)
49. White, E. B. - Charlotte's Web; Stuart Little.
50. Wright, Harold Bell - The Shepherd of the Hills (book); 
51. Wyss, Johann David - Swiss Family Robinson  (audio), (book)

for girls

Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale. 

1. Alcott, Louisa May  - Eight Cousins (audio); Jack and Jill (audio); Little Men (book); Little Women (audio), (book), (video);  Rose in Bloom (audio), (audio 2); Spinning Wheel Stories (audio)
2. Barnes, Emilie - Sharing a Cup of Kindness with Treasured Friends, The Spirit of Loveliness: Bringing Beauty, Creativity, and Order to Your Life; If Teacups Could Talk: 
3. Brink, Carol Ryrie  - Caddie Woodlawn; The Pink Motel
4. Brown, Ruth Alberta  - At the Little Brown House (book); The Lilac Lady
5. Buck, Pearl S. - The Good Earth.
6. Burnett, Frances Hodgson  - A Little Princess (audio), (book), (video);  Little Lord Fauntleroy (audio),  (book); The Secret Garden (audio), (book); The Shuttle (audio)
7. Childs, Laura =  Cackleberry Club; Scrapbook; Tea (adult cozy mystery series)
8. Finley, Martha - Elsie Dinsmore (book series); Elsie's Children (audio); 
9. Field, Rachel -- Hitty, Her First Hundred Years.
10. Frank, Anne - The Diary of a Young Girl (video)
11. Gates, Doris - The Blue Willow
12. God - The Holy Bible (book)
13. Hale, Mabel - Beautiful Girlhood (audio) 
14. Hill, Grace Livingston - (abt. 100 novels); The Enchanted Barn (audio); The Girl from Montana (audio)
15. Keene, Carolyn  - Dana (mystery series); Nancy Drew (mystery series)
16. Keller, Helen - The Story of My Life (book)
17. Landon, Margaret  - Anna and the King of Siam (video clip; The King and I); Never Dies the Dream
18. Lindgren, Astrid - Pippi Longstocking.
19. MacLachlan, Patricia  - Sarah, Plain and Tall (video)
20. Marshall, Catherine - Christy; Julie
21. Montgomery, Lucy Maud  - Anne of Avonlea (audio); Anne of Green Gables  (audio), (book); Anne's House of Dreams (audio);  Anne of the Island (audio); Emily of the New Moon; Further Chronicles of Avonlea (audio);  Jane of Lantern Hill; Rainbow Valley (audio); 
22. Norton, Mary  - The Borrowers (series)
23. Oke, Janette  - Love Comes Softly (series);
24. Page, Patti  - Once Upon a Dream; This is My Song: A Memoir. 
25. Perrault, Charles - Cinderella (book)
26. Porter, Eleanor H. - Pollyanna (audio), (video clip); Pollyanna Grows Up (audio), (book)
27. Porter, Gene Stratton - Freckles (book); Keeper of the Bees; Laddie (book), (video); The Girl of the Limberlost
28. Potter, Beatrix -  Great Big Treasury (audio);  The Tale of Peter Rabbit (book); Miss Potter (video)
29. Sewell, Anna - Black Beauty (audio), (book) 
30. Shaw, Bernard -Pygmalion (video) (My Fair Lady; Audrey Hepburn version is my favorite)
31. Sidney, Margaret  - Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (book) (video) 
32. Smith, Hannah Whitall -  The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life (audio)
33. Spyri, Johanna - Heidi  (audio), (book), (video)
34. ten Boom, Corrie - The Hiding Place; Tramp for the Lord. 
35. Tudor, Tasha - A Tale for Easter.
36. von Trapp, Maria - The Story of the Trapp Family Singers  (video); (movie: Sound of Music) (video clip)
37. Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith - Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. (book); Rose O' The River (audio)
38. Wilder, Laura Ingalls - Little House on the Prairie (series). 
39. Williams, Margary - The Velveteen Rabbit (audio)

MORE:

YouTube Audio Book Playlist.